Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights is 3.86 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 229 vs 233 minutes; registered nurses: 46 vs 46 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
67% positive in 2026, compared with 86% in 2025: 19 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2026 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2026 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights provide?
In January to March 2026, Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes below its target of 233 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 46.
Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 224 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 183 of the 229 minutes (79.9%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.1%). In the same quarter, Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 100% of residents surveyed at Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 88.1% average across other homes by 11.9 percentage points. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (93% against 84.2%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 93% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.3%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. Of residents asked whether they feel safe, 80% answered “always”, 13% “most of the time” and 7% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 87% of residents surveyed at Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights answered “always” and 13% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights?
When residents surveyed at Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19 percentage points lower than the 86% recorded in 2025. Another 20% answered “some of the time” and 13% “never”.
Food spending at Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.44 per resident per day, 57% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Scalabrini Village Allambie Heights spent $492.07 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 57.5% of it. Care and nursing spending of $282.92 was 7% above the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included administration ($80.77), accommodation and maintenance ($55.73), and cleaning and laundry ($27.51) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($175.16) and registered nurses ($63.18).
